Oilers Gameday – Vs. Washington

To the surprise of many (myself included), the Oilers are red hot to start the season and currently sit atop the Pacific Division with a 5-1-0 record after Cam Talbot posted a shutout against the Jets at the Heritage Classic. They’ll have their work cut out for them against the Washington Capitals tonight (3-1-1) as Ovechkin and company roll into town. No team can win every game, but how nice would it be for the Oilers to keep their win streak alive and further pad the points column? It would certainly go a long way towards helping them fight for a playoff spot down the stretch.

Keys to the game:

Edmonton: The Oilers need to ride the momentum and start the game off with some jump. They came out flat against the Jets on Sunday and were extremely lucky to exit the first with the game scoreless. The caps play a high tempo game and Ovechkin is a wrecking ball. The Oilers will need to try to occupy the shooting lanes to keep his options limited and play with active sticks. They would be wise to pressure Washington with the forecheck as much as possible to limit the opposition’s offensive zone time.

Washington: The Oilers have been getting scoring from all 4 lines so the Capitals will need to play a structured, simple game, and limit their turnovers. Ovechkin currently has 4 points (3 goals and 1 assist) in 5 games played, and he’ll need to bring his offense if the Oilers keep rolling the way they have been. Edmonton’s PK has been extremely good as of late but that doesn’t seem sustainable. If the Capitals can pepper them with shots on the powerplay, one is bound to go in eventually.

Players to watch:

Edmonton: NUGE. I can’t believe he hasn’t notched a goal yet. He’s been doing everything BUT scoring. He’s bound to get one eventually, right? Also, Auston Matthews currently leads the NHL in points and goals, and we can’t have that. So GO MCDAVID.

Washington: Other than Ovechkin, Lars Eller, TJ Oshie, and Markus Johansson. Like the Oilers, Washington has been spreading out their scoring, and their top 9 especially poses a threat every shift. Braden Holtby has been playing well (as usual) and comes in with a .924 save percentage and a 1.98 GAA (good for 8th in the NHL).

The Lines:

Lines are the same as they were against Winnipeg, with Jesse Puljujarvi getting another crack at it. I can’t help but feel he’d be better served playing big minutes in the AHL, but it is what it is. Cam Talbot gets another start after a spectacular performance against the Jets.

(Line Combos courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com)

Game Notes:

The Oilers have had what many would consider a relatively soft schedule to open the season and play yet another home game this evening. The month of October will have seen them play 6 of 9 games at home. Tonight could be considered one of their big tests (other than the St.Louis game, which they passed with flying colours). They’ll need to come out flying and try to take advantage of the Capitals who although rested, lost their last game against the Rangers by a score of 4-2.

The Oilers special teams have been clicking as of late. The PK sits 10th in the league and the power play is middle of the pack at 15th (which is a marked improvement given how the Oilers PP started out early).

Injuries remain the same with Caggiula, Hendricks, Davidson, Pakarinen and Fayne all out.

Gameday Prediction:

I’m on a weird streak here. Every time I’ve done the pregame blog and predicted the Oilers to lose, they’ve won, so why mess with a good thing? I’ll say the Oilers lose and try to keep the streak alive. Nuge will FINALLY score. McDavid notches one and so does Lucic. Ovechkin scores 2 goals and Oshie picks up a 3rd and the Caps win in a shootout.

You can catch the action at 7:30 pm MT on Sportsnet West. Enjoy the game, folks!